Post by acclue lockheart on Jan 9, 2008 18:34:15 GMT -5
Chapter IX: An Awkward Moment, a Life of Pain.
Our little party trying to get me home was stuck in place until Clad's stomach was healed. I would have gladly sped it up with my magic, but there was no way for me to do anything without a spellbook.
Days passed and we became closer. It was a lot easier for me to befriend Clad in his disabled state, he was a very threatening person when he was in better shape. My vocabulary in Mantle was slowly growing as I started to pay more attention to the humans' speech.
I had never really enjoyed the company of the other Fox children at my home, but for some reason I felt safe with these three individuals, regardless of their size.
Clad turned out to be a very nice person, despite a short and reckless temper. He tried to teach me how to fight, and we both tried hard, but I just wasn't made for combatting anything without my magic.
Ayaka was a good person as well, but she always seemed so distant. Something was always on her mind, but she didn't want to talk about it.
Days passed. Clad gradually recovered. And we were all ready for a quiet trip back to my home.
Well, it was a trip home at least.
I couldn't believe that I was finally going home, it seemed like it had been forever since I saw the valley. Our journey began on the day after Clad felt he could walk again.
"<So, ready to go yet?>" I asked impatiently but with a smile.
"<Almost.>" Ayaka said "<But Hoshi is still somewhere in the forest.>"
"<The lake. I will get her.>" I walked off into the forest toward the close-by lake Hoshi had found before I even awoke from my injured state.
Something smelled strange. Like blood. It was a little foggy that morning, but I could mostly see just fine onto the lake. I saw a shape in the lake and I was sure it was Hoshi. Was she bleeding?
I was ready to call to her when I saw something on a log down by the water.
Her clothes. All of Hoshi's clothes were sitting on the bank. I looked at the figure again. It was indeed Hoshi, bathing in the lake completely naked.
I backed away slowly from the scene so as not to get her attention, then ran back to the camp as fast as I could.
When I came through the trees, running and out of breath, Ayaka had to ask "<What happened? Where is Hoshi?>"
I paused to catch my breath and think. "<She... She is coming soon!>" I said much louder than I expected to. Clad and Ayaka gave me strange looks for awhile for that.
I never did tell Hoshi that I had seen her on the lake that day, but if I had a better view of her, that wouldn't be what I was worrying about...
-----
When Hoshi finally did come back, wearing her usual tattered clothing from her forest, I couldn't bring myself to talk to her. I had never seen a female demon, even of my own species, without clothes. It felt like she knew and I was afraid to bring it up and be accused around the others.
We left the woods unceremoniously and quickly made our way to the Euphoria Forest to the North.
That's what I would like to say had happened.
We decided to wait another day before we left to be sure that Clad was alright. After all, he was very lucky to still have all of his internal organs intact, but he still had five gaping holes to fill in.
That night at dusk, we all felt it coming.
The fading light gave way to a shadow looming over us in the trees. We all looked up, but couldn't see anything through the branches. Hoshi and I both tried to concentrate our senses on it, but there didn't seem to be anything malicious. We shrugged and figured it was just a big shift in the branches.
Continuing as usual, we began to set up a fire, but I could tell Hoshi was still concerned and often stopped, trying to focus on it.
When we were finally settled down, and the sun was just under the horizon, Hoshi's ears darted up.
"Look out!" she shouted, tackling Ayaka across the forest floor as a gigantic stone object smashed into the ground that would have held Ayaka a second earlier.
Hoshi pulled Ayaka up from thground, and we all just stared in silence at this random falling boulder. It was shaped like an upside-down pyramid with the tip in the cracked earth. It was completely black and bore inscriptions in the language of the Gods on each surface.
We didn't know what to say until Hoshi couldn't take it anymore. "What... the hell..."
As soon as she spoke, the obelisk started turning the ground beneath it pure black. It stretched out. Hoshi and I saw what it was.
Scores of Shadow Demons were pouing off the edge of the structure.
The humans could barely see in the darkness, and they knew it. It's what they were waiting for.
When it landed, I was close enough to be knocked over by the impact, and they were literally streaming in over me.
I could hardly breath. They weren't hurting me, blocking my mouth or anything, but I was having another panic attack.
As soon as they got close enough to Hoshi, they reached out with their claws and struck, leaving a gash in her shoulder. She jumped back with Ayaka, unfazed by the trickle of blood leaving her arm.
"<They are not harming Acclue?>" Ayaka said.
"<Of course not, he is already possessed.>" Hoshi spoke, grabbing her shoulder "<That would be harming their own.>"
Clad had drawn his blade and looked ready to fight. Hoshi and Ayaka charged him and stopped him in place "<Choose your battles! We can't win here!>" Ayaka shouted.
They retreated quickly, though I was still struggling with my fear on the ground.
"Acclue! Follow my voice!" Hoshi shouted "Please! Please... make it out of there!"
I couldn't do it. I couldn't move.
"Help..." I muttered out "Help me!" I was crying now.
A voice came from somewhere around me "Go!".
I opened my eyes and all I saw was black. Not like I did when I change into the shadow, the darkness was moving. I couldn't see beyond it.
"You are a coward, Acclue Lockheart." the voice hissed. It was the same voice from my dreams. "Your cowardice will be the end of you."
"Help me..." I choked out "Change me if you have to..." I felt my life slipping away from me wth every second.
"You will not be harmed. But you must face your fears, or you will be of no use to me." the voice quieted "You are alone. You must find your way. Alone." the voice disappeared and I felt a weight lift off of my shoulders. It was replaced directly on my mind.
I let out a scream as my thoughts were assaulted by some invisible force. My head was filled with thousands of voices in an instant, all demanding something different from me so I didn't understand any of them. It felt like a sword was just struck through my head.
I put my hands to my ears, but it ended after only a few seconds.
I had to get away.
Putting my claw to the ground, I pushed myself up, returning it to my ear immediately.
Facing the ground with my eyes closed, I began to run. I didn't know where to go, I just ran.
The same force as before struck my mind again. I yelled, but couldn't hear myself.
It stopped. My hands shook as I lowered them from my head and saw blood. I was pushing on my ears so hard that my claws finally cut through.
I stared at my hands for minute. The pain came again. It was unbearable, I was ready for it to kill me, but death wouldn't come, just pain.
"Leave me alone! What do you want with me?!" I shouted into the air, and began running again.
"Run and call for help. That's all you are capable of, isn't it?"
"Let me go!" I screamed as the searing pain came back. I began to rip into the ground of shadows with my claws. There was a brief reprieve as I stopped in my exhaustion, then I said quietly "Please... please just... let me go..."
I lost consciousness, my death almost assured.
Our little party trying to get me home was stuck in place until Clad's stomach was healed. I would have gladly sped it up with my magic, but there was no way for me to do anything without a spellbook.
Days passed and we became closer. It was a lot easier for me to befriend Clad in his disabled state, he was a very threatening person when he was in better shape. My vocabulary in Mantle was slowly growing as I started to pay more attention to the humans' speech.
I had never really enjoyed the company of the other Fox children at my home, but for some reason I felt safe with these three individuals, regardless of their size.
Clad turned out to be a very nice person, despite a short and reckless temper. He tried to teach me how to fight, and we both tried hard, but I just wasn't made for combatting anything without my magic.
Ayaka was a good person as well, but she always seemed so distant. Something was always on her mind, but she didn't want to talk about it.
Days passed. Clad gradually recovered. And we were all ready for a quiet trip back to my home.
Well, it was a trip home at least.
I couldn't believe that I was finally going home, it seemed like it had been forever since I saw the valley. Our journey began on the day after Clad felt he could walk again.
"<So, ready to go yet?>" I asked impatiently but with a smile.
"<Almost.>" Ayaka said "<But Hoshi is still somewhere in the forest.>"
"<The lake. I will get her.>" I walked off into the forest toward the close-by lake Hoshi had found before I even awoke from my injured state.
Something smelled strange. Like blood. It was a little foggy that morning, but I could mostly see just fine onto the lake. I saw a shape in the lake and I was sure it was Hoshi. Was she bleeding?
I was ready to call to her when I saw something on a log down by the water.
Her clothes. All of Hoshi's clothes were sitting on the bank. I looked at the figure again. It was indeed Hoshi, bathing in the lake completely naked.
I backed away slowly from the scene so as not to get her attention, then ran back to the camp as fast as I could.
When I came through the trees, running and out of breath, Ayaka had to ask "<What happened? Where is Hoshi?>"
I paused to catch my breath and think. "<She... She is coming soon!>" I said much louder than I expected to. Clad and Ayaka gave me strange looks for awhile for that.
I never did tell Hoshi that I had seen her on the lake that day, but if I had a better view of her, that wouldn't be what I was worrying about...
-----
When Hoshi finally did come back, wearing her usual tattered clothing from her forest, I couldn't bring myself to talk to her. I had never seen a female demon, even of my own species, without clothes. It felt like she knew and I was afraid to bring it up and be accused around the others.
We left the woods unceremoniously and quickly made our way to the Euphoria Forest to the North.
That's what I would like to say had happened.
We decided to wait another day before we left to be sure that Clad was alright. After all, he was very lucky to still have all of his internal organs intact, but he still had five gaping holes to fill in.
That night at dusk, we all felt it coming.
The fading light gave way to a shadow looming over us in the trees. We all looked up, but couldn't see anything through the branches. Hoshi and I both tried to concentrate our senses on it, but there didn't seem to be anything malicious. We shrugged and figured it was just a big shift in the branches.
Continuing as usual, we began to set up a fire, but I could tell Hoshi was still concerned and often stopped, trying to focus on it.
When we were finally settled down, and the sun was just under the horizon, Hoshi's ears darted up.
"Look out!" she shouted, tackling Ayaka across the forest floor as a gigantic stone object smashed into the ground that would have held Ayaka a second earlier.
Hoshi pulled Ayaka up from thground, and we all just stared in silence at this random falling boulder. It was shaped like an upside-down pyramid with the tip in the cracked earth. It was completely black and bore inscriptions in the language of the Gods on each surface.
We didn't know what to say until Hoshi couldn't take it anymore. "What... the hell..."
As soon as she spoke, the obelisk started turning the ground beneath it pure black. It stretched out. Hoshi and I saw what it was.
Scores of Shadow Demons were pouing off the edge of the structure.
The humans could barely see in the darkness, and they knew it. It's what they were waiting for.
When it landed, I was close enough to be knocked over by the impact, and they were literally streaming in over me.
I could hardly breath. They weren't hurting me, blocking my mouth or anything, but I was having another panic attack.
As soon as they got close enough to Hoshi, they reached out with their claws and struck, leaving a gash in her shoulder. She jumped back with Ayaka, unfazed by the trickle of blood leaving her arm.
"<They are not harming Acclue?>" Ayaka said.
"<Of course not, he is already possessed.>" Hoshi spoke, grabbing her shoulder "<That would be harming their own.>"
Clad had drawn his blade and looked ready to fight. Hoshi and Ayaka charged him and stopped him in place "<Choose your battles! We can't win here!>" Ayaka shouted.
They retreated quickly, though I was still struggling with my fear on the ground.
"Acclue! Follow my voice!" Hoshi shouted "Please! Please... make it out of there!"
I couldn't do it. I couldn't move.
"Help..." I muttered out "Help me!" I was crying now.
A voice came from somewhere around me "Go!".
I opened my eyes and all I saw was black. Not like I did when I change into the shadow, the darkness was moving. I couldn't see beyond it.
"You are a coward, Acclue Lockheart." the voice hissed. It was the same voice from my dreams. "Your cowardice will be the end of you."
"Help me..." I choked out "Change me if you have to..." I felt my life slipping away from me wth every second.
"You will not be harmed. But you must face your fears, or you will be of no use to me." the voice quieted "You are alone. You must find your way. Alone." the voice disappeared and I felt a weight lift off of my shoulders. It was replaced directly on my mind.
I let out a scream as my thoughts were assaulted by some invisible force. My head was filled with thousands of voices in an instant, all demanding something different from me so I didn't understand any of them. It felt like a sword was just struck through my head.
I put my hands to my ears, but it ended after only a few seconds.
I had to get away.
Putting my claw to the ground, I pushed myself up, returning it to my ear immediately.
Facing the ground with my eyes closed, I began to run. I didn't know where to go, I just ran.
The same force as before struck my mind again. I yelled, but couldn't hear myself.
It stopped. My hands shook as I lowered them from my head and saw blood. I was pushing on my ears so hard that my claws finally cut through.
I stared at my hands for minute. The pain came again. It was unbearable, I was ready for it to kill me, but death wouldn't come, just pain.
"Leave me alone! What do you want with me?!" I shouted into the air, and began running again.
"Run and call for help. That's all you are capable of, isn't it?"
"Let me go!" I screamed as the searing pain came back. I began to rip into the ground of shadows with my claws. There was a brief reprieve as I stopped in my exhaustion, then I said quietly "Please... please just... let me go..."
I lost consciousness, my death almost assured.